


Formality

by aftersoon (notboldly)



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Everyone Bangs Everyone, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Romance, Slash, Watch out for those one-night stands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-13
Updated: 2012-11-13
Packaged: 2017-11-23 16:25:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/624183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notboldly/pseuds/aftersoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The fact that Bruce and Rhodey had met before came as a surprise. To everyone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Formality

Formality

When Tony had finally decided to introduce his best friend to the team that now occupied most of his waking hours, he had expected any number of reactions. He never doubted they would span the entire range from good to bad, naturally, but he was pleasantly surprised when they landed hard on the side of "good," with Steve being cautiously respectful, Clint and Natasha being cautiously interested, and Thor being enthusiastic enough to overcome the caution of the others. Each success made Tony a little happier and Rhodey just a little less stiff in the shoulders, and it braced them—appropriately, Tony thought—for what would probably be the most difficult introduction of all. Bruce had a history with the military, one laced with distrust and humiliation and fear on both sides, and Tony had known him long enough not to take that lightly. Rhodey, despite being Air Force and never having been personally involved with the search for the Hulk, was sure to ruffle some feathers just because of what he represented, and Tony spent days if not weeks bracing for it. When Tony finally cornered Bruce in one of Stark Tower's many labs and made the introduction, however, the reaction he received was…unexpected.

Bruce had been out in the sun for days doing something complicated with solar power, and the resulting daylight had given him a tan, and he apparently tanned dark. Not dark enough to hide the flush, though, but the way he immediately fumbled the beaker in his hands would have been giveaway enough.

"Um." Bruce scratched his nose, shifted as he attempted to collect himself. Tony watched in fascination. "Hello. You're…Rhodey?"

Rhodey, who had always been quick to give Tony the sharp, succinct words he needed or at least quick with a joke, surprisingly fumbled just as much.

"Yeah. Uh. Yeah."

Bruce smiled faintly, the expression slightly more self-mocking than usual.

"I thought your name was James."

"It is, James Rhodes." Rhodey gave him a piercing look, relatively gentle for Rhodey, all things considered. "I thought your name was Ben?"

Bruce winced and tapped his fingers on the counter, a quick, nervous staccato.

"Guilty. Sorry."

They fell to awkward silence more awkward than the conversation before, and Tony waited a beat, mind whirring. Bruce continued to fumble, and to tap. Rhodey projected an air of disgruntlement, with the thought _embarrassment is for the weak, now stand up straight_ all but forming in the air around him.

It clicked almost immediately.

"No way." After all, giving fake names and flushing—no, _blushing_ —said so much, and the conclusion was obvious to anyone with eyes. "Seriously?" He looked at Rhodey, standing stiffly in his uniform and staring at the floor. "You're into guys?" His gaze shifted to Bruce, and the incredulity he was feeling shot into the stratosphere. " _You're_ into guys? Into Rhodey?" Rhodey shot him an irritated glance and Bruce looked almost sheepish, and Tony _gaped_. When he recovered, he threw his hands in the air. "Why did nobody _tell_ me this?"

Rhodey rolled his eyes.

"I did. Michigan, remember?"

Oh yeah, Michigan. Tony could actually maybe remember a few drunken make-out sessions if he tried, but he'd honestly thought that was the booze talking. Apparently not, but that wasn't the important part anyway, so he waved the answer away.

"No, not that. I mean—" He gestured with one hand between Rhodey and Bruce, and back again. "— _this_. How long?"

Rhodey and Bruce shared a glance of understanding, and Tony felt…well, nothing worth mentioning. At all.

It was Bruce who finally answered, shrugging as he folded up his glasses.

"Oh, it was only the once, years ago. I mean, it was only actually a few hours—"

" _Hours_?"

"—and there wasn't really much time for formal introductions, all things considered."

"There wasn't?" Tony tried to process that in a way that didn't provide images, high-definition and extremely well-choreographed, and he failed utterly. He wasn't sure how he felt about that either. "There wasn't. Huh. I would not have called that at all." He would have to ask for the details later, obviously, but he was still deciding which of the two would actually surrender them. He didn't want to admit that the answer was probably _neither_ ; they were private people and hung out with Tony, of all things. "I'm surprised you…and Rhodey…well, hit it off so well. Hit it so well, too, come to think."

Rhodey huffed a quick laugh, the first he'd surrendered since meeting the Avengers. His shoulders relaxed somewhat, and he looked at Tony with amusement.

"We're not as picky as you."

"Picky? I'm not picky."

Rhodey smiled a pitying smile at him.

"Tony, you don't even give interviews to people who aren't a 9 or 10."

Accurate though it might have been, Tony waved that away too.

"Still. Someone definitely should have told me my best friends had done the nasty before this. Such trauma I could have avoided." Yeah, trauma—that was exactly the emotion he was feeling.

Rhodey's expression said he didn't believe a word of it, but Bruce's expression was startled, almost warm. When he spoke, his voice was quiet, tentative.

"Best friends?"

"Well, yeah. Throw in Pepper and it's like a trifecta of awesome people who won't sleep with me."

Rhodey just shook his head at the description, looking long-suffering, but Bruce bit his lip and flushed some more, shuffling the papers immediately in front of him and looking absolutely anywhere but at either of them.

Well. That needed investigating, clearly. Later. And because Tony was a good friend, honestly he was, he only leered a little when he offered up the next logical step.

"Did you two want some time to meet each other properly?"

It came out sounding a bit more like innuendo than he'd planned, and the twin looks of exasperation he received in response made it pretty clear the answer was _no_. Too bad; he could have kept the footage. For posterity's sake.

"Thanks, Tony, but no." He held up a hand before Tony could say anything, knowing his next thought with an ease born of practice. "And if you don't mind, I'd just like to keep it between us." Rhodey straightened, and even though it was probably years overdue, he extended his hand. "It was excellent to meet you, Dr. Banner."

Bruce accepted the offered handshake, and his answering smile, though dubious, was real enough. "You as well, Colonel. I'm sure we'll see each other again."

Rhodey smiled, and it had been years—literally years—since Tony had seen him flirt, so he wasn't entirely sure that was what was happening. He couldn't be sure it wasn't, though, so he watched the exchange carefully. Rhodey's answering "count on it" seemed suspicious at best, but when Rhodey left and Tony shot a disbelieving look at his back, Bruce just chuckled and put his glasses back on.

"You, Tony. We both spend time with _you_."

"Oh." Well, that was by far the preferred alternative; he didn't know what he'd do if Bruce and Rhodey suddenly decided to abandon him and become a _couple_. It didn't bear thinking about.

But, fortunately for him, other things did.

"Just so you know, I would have totally let you interview me."

His answer was a hum, contemplative and fond. If Tony looked close enough, he thought he could even see a small smile.

"Maybe someday."

That, Tony decided, was easily the best reaction so far.

****

End

**Author's Note:**

> Fulfills a kink meme prompt, located here: http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/11264.html?thread=27024896#t27024896


End file.
